Greg Cunningham: New Mexico Voters Approved Constitutional Amendment 1 To Address The State’s Underperforming Education System, Increasing Annual Funding For Early Childhood And K-12 Education By $236 Million And Expanding Access To Pre-K Programs By An Expected 40%

2023: New Mexico’s Education System Ranked In Last Place Nationally For Reading And Math And Served A Predominantly Low-Income Student Population

2023: New Mexico Ranked 50th In The Nation In Reading And Math, And Only 21% Of New Mexico’s 4th Graders Could Read Proficiently. “New Mexico’s investment in education is sorely needed given its poor ratings across essentially all education outcomes. A recent report found that New Mexico ranks 50th in the nation in reading and math, and only 21% of New Mexico’s 4th graders can read proficiently. There are also stark inequalities based on race and socioeconomic status, with the well-respected Kids Count report consistently finding that Native American and Hispanic students are less likely to be proficient in reading and math, as are students who live below the poverty level.” [Brookings Institution, 4/12/23]

2023: 26% Of Children Under Age Five In New Mexico Lived In Poverty And 82.5% Of New Mexico Public Schools Were Title I Schools Serving Predominantly Low-Income Students. “Research finds that exposure to early childhood programming early in a child’s life significantly increases economic prosperity for participants in New Mexico, a state where over a quarter (26%) of children under the age of five live in poverty. Roughly a third of children in the state live with families where no parent has regular, full-time employment, and nearly half of families have difficulty paying usual household expenses. Reflecting the economic challenges facing the state’s children, 82.5% of New Mexico public schools are Title 1 schools with 71% of students statewide receiving free or reduced lunch.” [Brookings Institution, 4/12/23]

2022: 70% Of New Mexico Voters Passed Constitutional Amendment 1 To Increase Funding For Early Childhood And K-12 Education

2022: New Mexico Voters Overwhelming Approved Constitutional Amendment 1 To Increase Funding For Early Childhood And K-12 Education, Passing It With 70% Of The Vote. “Yesterday, New Mexico voters made history: they overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that makes theirs the first state to guarantee a right to early childhood education while directing substantial, steady funding to child care and early education. Seventy percent of voters approved Amendment 1, which will devote a portion of money in the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund — billions of dollars the state generates from fees it makes off of oil and gas development on the public land it holds in trust — to early care and education. The money, which already funds K-12 education, won’t just be a one-time infusion, but a steady stream of about $150 million a year for early childhood programs — a figure that is likely to increase as the fund’s value increases. It could very well allow New Mexico to achieve a system of free child care and preschool for all state residents.” [The 74, 11/9/22]

Constitutional Amendment 1 Increased Funding For Early Childhood Education And Public Schools By $236 Million Annually

The Constitutional Amendment Increased Funding For Early Childhood Education And Public Schools By $236 Million Annually. “The passage of the appropriations bill by the United States Congress has had major implications for future generations of New Mexicans by providing funding for the state’s early childhood education constitutional amendment, which was adopted by the state legislature in 2021 and supported overwhelmingly by voters in 2022. The last step to finalizing the state’s constitutional amendment is for the United States Congress to approve it. The amendment to the state’s constitution will only increase annual withdrawals from the state’s permanent school fund by a modest 1.25%. However, due to the size of the fund, this increase is projected to generate a boost of $236 million for early childhood education and the state’s public schools more broadly. From this amendment, funding is able to expand access to pre-K in New Mexico by 40%, with the inclusion of an increase in instructional hours for select programs, an expansion in the number of seats in classrooms, and a pay raise for early childhood workers. This infusion of resources is in addition to the investments the state has made during Governor Lujan Grisham’s first term in office, specifically regarding early childhood education.” [Brookings Institution, 4/12/23]

• 60% Of The Additional 1.25% Drawn From The Land Grant Permanent Fund Went Towards Early Childhood Education Funding, Equating To About $150 Million Annually. “On November 8, 2022, New Mexico passed a ballot measure, also known as Constitutional Amendment 1, to amend the state constitution and allow early childhood education to be funded through the Land Grant Permanent Fund (LGPF). The amendment will draw an additional 1.25 percent from the LGPF, of which 60 percent will go toward early childhood education. This amounts to about $150 million annually, which equates to 35 percent of the state’s Early Childhood Education & Care Department’s (ECECD) fiscal year (FY) 2021 operating budget. In addition to voter approval, the funding change received Congressional approval in the FY 2023 Omnibus federal spending bill.” [New America, 1/6/23]

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education And Care Department: Constitutional Amendment 1 Was Expected To Expanded Access To Pre-K In New Mexico By An Expected 40%

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education And Care Department Said Pre-K Access In New Mexico Was Expected To Grow By 40% Because Of Increased Funding From The Approved Constitutional Amendment. “In the past year, New Mexico lawmakers and voters have invested big in the state’s children. Now, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department says, it’s time to get to work. New Mexico pre-kindergarten access is expected to grow by 40%, the department said at a Tuesday press conference, which will include increasing the number of instructional hours in some programs, expanding the number of seats for children in classrooms and bumping early childhood workers’ pay. ‘This is truly a historic and generational moment for New Mexico,’ Early Childhood Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky said. ‘We are going to be able to fully invest in our birth to 5-year-old early care and education system.’ The department’s ambitions are fueled through a dramatic uptick in pre-K funding, which according to a Legislative Finance Committee analyst amounted to a nearly 104% — or over $110 million — increase. That money largely came from a constitutional amendment increasing distributions from the permanent school fund that was approved by New Mexico voters in November and later by U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has yet to officially sign the state’s spending bill. She has until Friday to do so. Currently, some 15,700 children are getting pre-K services in community, school or other settings, and that number’s expected to grow by 40%, department spokesman Micah McCoy said.” [Albuquerque Journal, 7/27/23]

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education And Care Department Said It Planned To Increasing The Number Of Instructional Hours In Some Programs, Expanding The Number Of Seats For Children In Classrooms And Bumping Early Childhood Workers’ Pay To Meet The Increased Demand For Pre-K. “In the past year, New Mexico lawmakers and voters have invested big in the state’s children. Now, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department says, it’s time to get to work. New Mexico pre-kindergarten access is expected to grow by 40%, the department said at a Tuesday press conference, which will include increasing the number of instructional hours in some programs, expanding the number of seats for children in classrooms and bumping early childhood workers’ pay. ‘This is truly a historic and generational moment for New Mexico,’ Early Childhood Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky said. ‘We are going to be able to fully invest in our birth to 5-year-old early care and education system.’ The department’s ambitions are fueled through a dramatic uptick in pre-K funding, which according to a Legislative Finance Committee analyst amounted to a nearly 104% — or over $110 million — increase. That money largely came from a constitutional amendment increasing distributions from the permanent school fund that was approved by New Mexico voters in November and later by U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has yet to officially sign the state’s spending bill. She has until Friday to do so. Currently, some 15,700 children are getting pre-K services in community, school or other settings, and that number’s expected to grow by 40%, department spokesman Micah McCoy said.” [Albuquerque Journal, 7/27/23]

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education And Care Department Secretary Estimated The State Would Hire 600 To 800 More Childcare Professionals To Expand Pre-K Services. “New Mexico pre-kindergarten access is expected to grow by 40%, the department said at a Tuesday press conference, which will include increasing the number of instructional hours in some programs, expanding the number of seats for children in classrooms and bumping early childhood workers’ pay. ‘This is truly a historic and generational moment for New Mexico,’ Early Childhood Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky said. […] To achieve the department’s goals, Groginsky estimated New Mexico will need 600 to 800 more childcare professionals. To recruit those numbers, Groginsky pointed to established programs, including a grant that provides financial support to meet needs of college students pursuing early childhood degrees, as well as a planned pay increase. Because pay in community-based pre-K centers isn’t standardized, McCoy couldn’t say how much wages will grow. Workers in state pre-K facilities will qualify for the 6% public school employee raises in the state’s currently-unsigned spending bill. The hours children spend in the department’s Head Start programs, Deputy Secretary Sara Mickelson said, will also be increased from 900 to a minimum of 1,080. Along with the department’s plan to expand statewide pre-K coverage are hopes to bring that growth to tribal communities, Assistant Secretary for Native American Early Childhood Education and Care Cotillion Sneddy said. Still, it’s unclear how much services in Indigenous communities will expand, she said, because it’s up to them to decide what help they want. ‘They tell us their needs, and they tell us what their focuses are,’ she said.” [Albuquerque Journal, 7/27/23]